Yemeni Rebels Say They’ve Seized Province on Saudi Border

(Bloomberg) --

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they’ve seized control of a strategic province bordering Saudi Arabia, freeing them to concentrate on capturing an energy-rich area nearby.

A spokesman for the rebels, Yahya Saree, said Tuesday that they’ve overtaken almost all of Al-Jawf province. The Houthis’ next objective is to wrest control of Marib, home to oil and natural gas deposits. Fighting there escalated Tuesday amid airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition trying to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

There was no immediate comment from the coalition.

The five-year war in Yemen shows little sign of abating despite efforts last year to build momentum toward a peace deal. Since the Saudi-led coalition began its bombing campaign in 2015 tens of thousands of people have been killed and the country has descended into one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

--With assistance from Vivian Nereim.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Hatem in Dubai at mhatem1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel

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